The Flower That Blooms
by Ash D. Robin
Summary: The lost heir finds his way back home. A dishonored dragon seeks redemption. A young girl fights in a war for the chance to regain her honor. And the flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.
1. Chapter 1

The soldier marched slowly across the Great Wall, eyes scanning the surrounding forests. He couldn't see much by the moon's dull light, but then again, there wasn't much to see at all. China's northern border stretched far from any towns or villages, effectively isolating the soldiers that kept watch there. There were only mountains covered in thick mist for miles.

Something smashed into the back of his head. His helmet flew off and clanged on the floor. A screech rang in his ears. He looked up to see the silhouette of a bird flying against the full moon. It folded its broad wings and perched on a flag that stood on the roof of one of the posts. Intelligent, yellow eyes stared into his.

He rubbed the back of his head. Thankfully, he wasn't bleeding. Still, the hawk's stare made him feel uneasy. At last, it let out another screech. Then, as if on cue, a single grappling hook flew up from the darkness and snagged onto the edge of the wall.

Someone was trying to climb over.

Another hook, then ten, then fifty hooks shot up into the air. An echo of icy, metallic clashes sounded down the mountain as they snagged onto the the wall. The soldier's heart beat violently in his chest. He ran to the nearest post.

"We're under attack!" he yelled. "Light the signal!"

The door creaked open. Pale men emerged from the shadows - not imperial soldiers. One of them swiped at him with a sword. He ducked. He blindly shot fire and sprinted to the post. When his hands found a ladder that leaned on the wall, he climbed. He scrambled to the top, jumped, clung to the stones. The ladder crumbled under him.

Just as the soldier pulled himself over the edge, someone else leaped onto the roof. The small, lean figure rose to full height. Thin, amber eyes glared at him from the shadows.

For a moment, the soldier hesitated. Then he shot a blast of fire at the vat of oil that rested between them. It blazed up with a deafening roar. The brilliant gold and scarlet flames illuminated the night and cast light on the attacker. But instead of a man, it was a girl who stood across from him. A young girl - no older than fifteen.

The girl turned to see the other raging signal fires come to life along the Great Wall. In the distance, men yelled out orders in panic. She turned back to see the soldier glaring at her with defiance.

"Now all of China knows you're here," he said.

A cruel smile curled on the girl's pretty lips. "Thank you for delivering the message," she said. "I'm sure father will be pleased."


	2. Chapter 2

The emperor had to attend a war meeting, much to his chagrin. He wanted to do other things that day - play Pai Sho, play the tsungi horn, share tea - but he had obligations to fulfill. Unfortunately for him, the meetings were often long and dreadfully boring. What's more, there was no reason to have one in the first place. Ever since Emperor Iroh ascended to power, there had been an era of peace, and he wanted to keep it that way.

He took a seat in golden throne. Zhao, his adviser, stood at attention next to him. Before the throne, the other generals took their seats at a long, low lying table, where the map of China was lain flat on the surface for everyone to see.

The emperor perked up when he saw his son, Prince Lu Ten, walk into the room. He was dressed in his full general's uniform with the exception of his helmet, which he held in his hands. However, instead of his usual warm smile, he wore a stern expression on his face. As everyone settled down, he walked up to the throne and gave a respectful nod to his father. Then he turned to address the other generals.

"Recently, I've received some bad news: the Huns have crossed our northern border," he began.

The other generals murmured and whispered to each other, but it was Zhao who openly expressed the thoughts on everyone's minds. "Impossible! No one can get through the Great Wall!" he said.

Emperor Iroh scratched his beard. "Well as highly unlikely as it seems, I don't think it's _impossible_ to get through a wall." He gave a broad smile. "If they weren't attacking us, I'd congratulate them! Getting past our boarders is quite a feat!"

About half of the generals groaned, while the other half - the half with the better sense of humor - chuckled. Prince Lu Ten, however, didn't seem to have heard his father at all. He shut his eyes tight and his face wrinkled with pained effort.

"Ozai is leading them," he said at last.

With those four words, everyone fell silent. The entire room seemed to grow a little more still, and a lot more cold. The prince looked up to his father and saw him staring straight ahead, as if deep in thought.

"Is there anything else we should know?" he asked, his voice was unusually quiet.

"Well, there is _one_ rumor, one that hasn't been confirmed yet, but we believe that Azula is working with him."

Several generals gasped. "Hypocritical traitor," one of them muttered under his breath.

"And what about Zuko?"

"No one saw him during the attack in the north," he said with a helpless shrug. "For all we know, he could be missing."

The emperor closed his eyes and shook his head.

"We'll set up defenses around your palace immediately," the prince said.

"No!" Emperor Iroh said. He jumped out of his chair with the energy of someone far younger than him. "Send your troops to protect our people! Zhao!"

"Yes, your Highness."

"Deliver conscription notices throughout all the provinces. Call up reserves and as many new recruits as possible."

"Forgive me, your Majesty, but I believe our troops can stop him," one of the generals piped up.

"We shouldn't take any chances, general. A single grain of rice can tip the scale; one man or woman may be the difference between victory and defeat."

"One man, your Highness," Zhao said. Everyone looked at him. "Remember, women aren't allowed in the army, as decreed by your own father, the late Emperor Azulon."

All eyes turned to the emperor. "I'm fully aware of the law, Zhao," he said. "But as Emperor now, I believe that I may change that law whenever I wish, is that correct?"

"Yes, but you will need the Council's approval in order to create and execute a law. And I doubt that such law will be passed before the Huns invade the Imperial City. Besides, the last time a woman fought for this country, the throne nearly descended into chaos."

Emperor Iroh glowered at his adviser, who smirked, head held high. The generals murmured wearily amongst each other. Prince Lu Ten clenched his fists. His whole body became rigid. At last the emperor closed his eyes and sighed.

"Very well," he said. "What's more important, we need to prepare for Ozai's return."


	3. Chapter 3

Mulan sat cross-legged in her bed, reading over her notes. "Quiet and demure... graceful, polite..." - she stuffed a glob of rice porridge in her mouth - "... delicate... refined, poised..." She added a character to the long rows of ink she had written on her right arm. "... Punctual!"

A rooster crowed suddenly, giving her a small heart attack. Was it that time already? Mulan dropped her brush and leaped out of bed with a cry. If she hurried and got Little Brother to help her do chores, she wouldn't be late. Maybe.

"Little Brother!" she called. She rushed out of her room and bounded down the hall. "Little Brother! Little - "

She found the baby bear-dog sleeping on the floor of the kitchen, his ears perking up at the sound of her voice. He stood onto his feet and barked.

"Ah! There you are!" she said. "Who's the smartest bear-dog in the whole world? C'mon smart boy! Can you help me with my chores today?"

Before her bear-dog could bark in reply, she had tied a sack of feed to his back, a pole to his collar, and a bone to the free end of the pole. It was a trick she invented to cut her chores in half and it worked like this: the bone would dangle in front of her bear-dog's face; he would chase after it, dragging the sack of feed behind him; the grains would spill from a small hole in the bottom; then the farm animals could enjoy their feast, provided they didn't get trampled by the bear-dog.

Mulan opened the door that lead to the yard. Sure enough, her doofus of a bear-dog shot off towards the bone, running first into a wall, then straight through the open doorway. He ran in erratic circles, barking and yapping, startling the chicken-pigs. They kept their distance and didn't dare touch their food until the hyper puppy ran past the deer-horse stables and into the family garden.

The family garden was gorgeous and serene, a place where anyone could come for a moment of peace and quiet reflection. A small path wound through the garden and led to steps that went up to the family temple. It was in that temple that Fa Zhou came to visit the family ancestors every morning. As usual, he brought an incense stick with him. Once inside, he lit it, then placed it in the small dragon dish that hung from the ceiling. As the pleasant smell of jasmine blossoms wafted from the stick and filled the entire temple with its sweet, pure scent, Fa Zhou took his place in the middle of the tombstones. He carefully knelt onto his knees, placed his cane beside him, and bowed in a kowtow position.

"Honorable Ancestors," he prayed, bringing himself upright. "Please help Mulan impress the Matchmaker today."

Little Brother burst into the temple, barking like an idiot, followed by the chicken-pigs, squawking, squealing and pecking at the feed that scattered over the temple floor. Fa Zhou sighed. "Please, _please_ help her," he begged.

Mulan walked up the temple steps with a tray of tea in her hands, chuckling at the sight of Little Brother. Her bear-dog had given up his chase and was sitting at the entrance to the temple, snapping pathetically at the bone above him. She lowered it into his jaws and stood back up.

"Father I brought you some- Whoop!" He had appeared at the doorway so quickly that she collided into him. The tray slipped out of her hands and the small tea cup shattered on the floor. But fortunately, her father managed to catch the tea pot on his cane.

"Mulan..." Fa Zhou began.

"I brought a spare!" she said with a smile, pulling another cup from the folds of her dress.

"Mulan."

"Remember, the doctor said three cups of tea in the morning..."

"Mulan."

"...And three at night."

"Mulan. You should already be in town. We're counting on you to..."

"To uphold the family honor," she finished. "Don't worry, Father, I won't let you down." She tugged at her right sleeve to cover the notes she scribbled on her arm. Then she scampered down the steps.

"Wish me luck!" she yelled.

"Hurry!" her father said. He exchanged a glance with the bear-dog and sighed. She was definitely going to be late. "I'm going to... pray some more," he mumbled.


End file.
